BBC Radio Devon

Devon

• In Plymouth we have reports of an accident on Tamerton Foliot Road near the roundabout at Budshead Road
• Traffic is flowing well on the Tamar Bridge - there's now up to a 10-minute wait with all three ferries running between Torpoint and Devonport

Cornwall

• Near Helston there are reports of slow traffic due to an accident near Sithney Primary School on the B3302 at the junction with the B3303

BBC Weather

It'll be a cold and frosty start to the day, but mostly dry with patchy cloud and spells of sunshine.

There is, however, the chance of the odd light shower affecting the far south of the region, particularly along the Lizard Peninsula.

Light or moderate east or northeasterly winds will also be fresher along parts of the south coast.

Max temp 4-7C (39-45F).

It will be a cold and dry night with clear spells and some broken cloud.

A frost will develop quite widely, although cloud moving in from the English Channel may keep southern coastal areas a little less cold.

Light or moderate east or southweasterly winds will be fresher towards the far west and Scilly.

Min temp -2 to 5C (28 to 41F).

Sarah Gosling
BBC News Online

Exeter University is one of 61 institutions whose staff are set to take industrial action for two days, beginning today.

Those striking are members of the University and College Union (UCU) protesting planned pension changes.

In a statement the university said the proportion of teaching staff who voted for industrial action is about 20%, but disruption should be minimal.

According to the university, similar action is planned on the following dates:

• Monday 26 – Wednesday 28 February 2018
• Monday 5 – Thursday 8 March 2018
• Monday 12 – Friday 16 March

Cornwall Live

Cornwall Council has admitted it will have to look for a new location for its real-time parking sign in Newquay after it was partly obscured by a landowner’s storage unit., external

Sarah Gosling
BBC News Online

A motorcycle was deliberately set on fire and "totally destroyed" in Torquay in the early hours of this morning, Devon and Somerset Fire Service has said.

Following up on reports of bushes on fire in the Combe Lane area at about 05:30, crews discovered the motorcycle.

The fire was extinguished and police informed.

Devon Live

The body of a decapitated stag which washed up in Braunton, Devon beach has been described as "horrible" by the man who made the gruesome discovery., external

BBC Radio Cornwall

World's first commercial deep-space communications centre to be built at Goonhilly Earth Station on the Lizard after £8.4m investment.

The upgrade to the site's satellite dish will make it capable of tracking future missions to the Moon and Mars.

Goonhilly says 100 jobs could be created as a result.

Dr Natasha Stephen, from the University of Plymouth, says it is great news for the South West.

Image source, Goonhilly Earth Station

BBC Spotlight

A trial to let cows graze on sand dunes in north Devon has been a huge success, according to the National Trust.

The dunes at Woolacombe used to be managed by mowers, but the charity says the cows do a much better job.

It is now the second winter the cows have been put to work on the habitat, to help bring rare plants and wildlife species back to the area.

Josh Day, a ranger for the trust, says the red rubies, which are native to north Devon, are proving popular.

Miles Davis
BBC News Online

A person is understood to have been seriously injured in a stabbing outside Plymouth railway station on Wednesday afternoon.

British Transport Police (BTP) said a person "was taken to hospital with injuries consistent with being stabbed" following an assault shortly after 17:00.

BTP said a man had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and was being held in custody.

The BBC understands an argument between the victim and the attacker began in one of the shops on the railway station concourse and both then went outside.

An area outside the entrance to the station was previously cordoned off but the cordon has now been cleared.

A man is in police custody following an 'incident' at Plymouth railway station.

The Daily Telegraph

Travel company Expedia have been criticised after an administration error almost cost an elderly Devon couple a £5,000 once-in-a-lifetime trip to New Zealand, external.

Peter Weyman groomed one 12-year-old pupil with cigarettes, alcohol and gifts and abused another.

A man is wanted over a theft which happened on Monday 5 February, police have said.

The incident is alleged to have taken place at around 12:00 in Plymouth city centre.

A 78-year-old woman lost an 18 carat gold ring worth around £2,000. It has the letter ‘R’ on it set in small diamonds.

At around 17:30, a man reportedly entered a second hand store in Plymouth and tried to sell the ring, but was not able to.

The animal was found malnourished and had a skin disease that left him without 90% of his fur.

Cornwall Live

A student has been taken to hospital after taking prescription drugs with a group of friends in St Austell, external.

Plymouth Herald

The owners of a Plymouth restaurant devastated by a fire are hoping to have the premises up and running again by Easter., external

BBC Spotlight

Plymouth's only drop-in centre for rough sleepers will be opening seven days a week from next month to cope with a rise in demand.

Staff at Shekinah say that, on an average day, there can be about 40 people coming through its doors.

Last year the charity increased its opening times to six days a week, but that's still not enough.

Shekinah CEO John Hamblin says it is a sad day for his staff and volunteers.

"In 2009, when I took over as chief exec, I said to the staff that my intention was to make us all redundant because I would like to think we could do such a great job that we wouldn't be needed.

"And here we are in 2018 increasing our services, which is incredibly sad for all of us.

"None of us want this, but equally we're not prepared to stand by and do nothing."

A boarding school groundsman has been jailed for 17 years for "ruining the lives of two vulnerable boys" who he abused more than 25 years ago.

Peter Weyman worked as a handyman at Chelfham Mill School, near Barnstaple, where he preyed on a 12-year-old pupil and groomed him with cigarettes, alcohol and gifts, Exeter Crown Court heard.

Weyman had come to Devon after moving from South Yorkshire, where he had also abused a boy over more than two years.

Weyman, 67, of Cleveland Close, Carlton in Lindrick, Nottinghamshire, admitted seven offences of indecency against the first victim and four against the second.

He was also put on the sex offenders' register for life and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order which restricts any future contact with children.

Police have issued a grainy CCTV image of a man they would like to identify after allegations of an assault in Plymouth.

It is claimed the incident took place between New George Street and Royal Parade at about 20:30 to 21:30 on Friday 22 December.

Police say they would like to identify and speak to the man pictured "as he may hold information vital to the investigation".

Image source, Devon & Cornwall Police